I am a compensated 3M-sponsored blogger, and as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate 3M products. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

A clean bathroom is a happy bathroom. With these 3 tips you’ll be able to keep your bathroom clean a little longer and enjoy a naturally disinfected space.

Once you have mixed up your disinfecting spray, you’re ready to take on your bathroom. Spray surfaces and let sit 10 minutes before wiping clean. If you have any water and mineral deposits, simply sprinkle a little baking soda over the spray and wipe with a sponge to remove the spots and build-up.

Rinse the sponge and repeat until the baking soda and spray mixture is wiped clean. The great thing about this sponge is that it rinses cleanly, so you don’t have to worry about leftover baking soda getting stuck in the sponge. Dry and polish fixtures with a clean, soft cloth.

If you’re having a hard time with water spots in your shower stall – glass or fiberglass – you’ll love this trick for keeping the walls from getting that soap scum buildup.

Simply pour white vinegar into the dispenser of a dish wand and keep it in your shower. Keep the sponge side pointing up so the vinegar doesn’t drip.

Scrub the walls with the white vinegar and rinse thoroughly. The vinegar cuts through any soap scum and does a little cleaning as well. Feel free to combine with a spray of the disinfecting spray or use on its own. Rinse thoroughly.

Try one or all of these bathroom cleaning hacks this week and you’ll find you’re able to get your bathroom a little cleaner in a little less time. Happy Cleaning!

Earlier this week I asked my Instagram followers for their homekeeping questions. I love hearing from YOU when you have questions! I’ll be answering those questions over the next couple of weeks (there were a lot of them :)) but in the meantime, there were oodles of questions about cleaning bathrooms. So I thought I’d whip up a blog post with some links to other posts that answer those questions. You want to know everything from how to really clean a toilet, to how to clean a whirlpool tub, and how to clean a plastic/fiberglass shower or bathtub. I’ve got your answers below – I hope it’s helpful! And if you’re quick, you can see my Instagram stories from yesterday where I talked about cleaning with kids.

Speed Clean Your Bathrooms – this is the method I use on Mondays to clean the bathrooms from top to bottom quickly (you’ll see the secret to getting this job done quickly is NOT washing the floors because I do them on Thursdays).

Toilet Care Game Changers – I have two little boys and I can promise you that I’ve tried everything to get rid of that smell and I have truly figured it out – this post goes into detail on how to really clean a toilet and get rid of ‘that’ smell.

How to Clean a Shower + Keep it that Way – You asked – how do I clean a shower, soap scum, glass showers, fiberglass/plastic – showers are tough. If it’s a shower that’s used regularly, it’s damp and has a fair amount of moisture that needs to fully dry on a daily basis. If it isn’t used on a daily or weekly basis it still needs a quick wipe down to keep it clean and dust-free. This post gives the run-down on what you need to know for that super clean shower you’re looking for.

How to Clean a Whirlpool Bathtub – They’re relaxing and lovely but they aren’t the easiest to clean mostly because they aren’t used regularly. Use my method to clean your whirlpool tub and you’ll be happy to take that bath.

I can’t really talk about cleaning bathrooms without discussing my favorite tool for cleaning bathrooms – microfiber! Go to this post for all you ever wanted to know about microfiber!

Have more bathroom cleaning questions or maybe you’ve found a solution that works – share it in the comments and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram too!

Is there anyone that actually enjoys cleaning bathrooms? I clean them on Mondays to get them out of the way and clean for the new week. It’s my ‘eat the frog first’ task. If you follow along with my cleaning routine, on Mondays you clean bathrooms right along with me in your home. I also post daily reminders on Instagram and Facebook. This isn’t the first time I’ve shared my bathroom speed cleaning method but for those of you that may be new or haven’t tried it yet (what are you waiting for? ;)) here’s an updated post of my routine.

It doesn’t matter if you have 1 bathroom or 6, this method is the easiest and quickest way to get them all clean in a hurry. Even better? This isn’t fake cleaning or touching up – it’s complete and thorough cleaning.

What’s the trick? You’ll notice that I am not sweeping, vacuuming, or washing the floors. This is part of the time-saving magic of this approach. I vacuum all the floors on Wednesdays and wash all the floors on Thursday, so there’s no need to vacuum or wash them on Mondays. If this is your first time trying this routine and you want to have all your bathrooms cleaned at once, feel free to clean the floors but it will take longer than 10-15 minutes. Another key component to a quick and easy bathroom cleaning session is that I do a quick counter check every day as part of my cleaning routine and that keeps the cleaning time down on Mondays as well.

Go here to see more about the Clean Mama Cleaning Routine. You’ll find this method and so many more cleaning tips and tricks in my book, Simply Clean.

Gather your supplies and tools – this is what you’ll need :

microfiber cloths (alternatively you can use paper towels or cleaning wipes, I prefer microfiber) – 1 for all the mirrors, one for each toilet, one for each sink, and a couple extras for tubs and showers

Start with the mirrors – spray and wipe clean. I use a glass and mirror microfiber for lint and streak-free mirrors. Keep this cloth handy and reuse in each bathroom.

Next, move on to your sink, toilet, and bathtub or shower (if you don’t use a tub or shower regularly, you don’t need to clean it weekly) and quickly spray with your disinfecting cleaner.

I use non-toxic disinfecting cleaners – they work just as well and aren’t harmful to you or your family. You can see my favorite cleaners here too.

Use your preferred toilet cleaner and brush and do a quick clean of your toilet. Then REPEAT these steps in each bathroom. Once you’ve done that, go back to the first bathroom:

Wipe the sink, wipe the toilet, and wipe the tub or shower – take care to use a separate cloth or paper towel for the each toilet, sink, and bathtub/shower to avoid cross-contamination. Don’t forget to get the base of your toilets too – I wipe these last.

Place dirty cloths in a container and move on to wiping down the next bathroom and the next until you have wiped down each bathroom.

Put out fresh, clean towels and that’s it!

What do you think? Are you up for a little bathroom speed cleaning?

Looking for the BEST microfiber cloths? You’ll LOVE Clean Mama Home microfiber!

If you’ve ever had toilet bowl rings and stains, you know that they seem next to impossible to remove. Toilet bowl rings are the result of hard water and mineral deposits that develop from standing water in the bowl or from the toilet not being flushed multiple times during the day. No amount of scrubbing, harsh chemical cleaners or bleach will completely remove this buildup. The solution to this is rather unexpected: PUMICE. The same thing that you might use for callused heals works for removing toilet rings. Crazy right?

Why does it work? Pumice is a natural volcanic rock that does a superior job at removing surface stains in toilet bowls without scratching the surface. I recommend NOT using the pumice stone you’d use for your feet in the toilet – this type of pumice is a little harder and if it’s gray or black it might add a visible scratch to your toilet bowl.

Better yet, there’s a product that’s softer than a traditional pumice stone and works even better AND it has a handle so that you don’t need to stick your hand in the toilet bowl. Yay! Simply rub the pumice around the interior of your toilet bowl where the ring is and that’s it! It couldn’t be much easier. The Pumie is a pumice stone specifically designed to clean your toilet rings and stains. You can use any pumice stone, but I like that this one has a handle and is designed specifically for toilet cleaning.

Here are the simple steps:

Clean your toilet the way you normally would – you’re using the pumice to remove those rings that you can’t remove with your usual toilet cleaning methods.

Use a bucket and pour water into the toilet until it manually flushes – you’ll hear a glugging sound. This will keep the water from filling up in the tank so you can properly remove the toilet rings.

Do you have a love/hate relationship with the tile in your home? Love the way that it looks but irritated with how quickly the grout goes from white to gray? Or maybe you inherited some not-so-clean looking tile in your current home from the previous owners. Regardless of how old or new your flooring is, it doesn’t take long for tile to get grimy, especially in those high traffic areas like the kitchen, mudroom or entryway. There are several different methods and cleaners that can help you clean your tile and grout well. Try one of my suggestions out and see what you think!

Cleaning Grout:

One of my favorite DIY recipes to help brighten grout is a simple combination of cream of tartar and lemon juice. This method takes a little more elbow grease but it works really well to remove some of those surface stains in the grout as well as naturally lighten the grout. This works especially well on colored grout. Here is what you need:

Lemon Grout Cleaner:

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

lemon juice

Combine the cream of tartar with the lemon juice to make a thing paste the consistency of runny toothpaste. Apply to the grout and use a small stiff bristled cleaning brush to scrub the grout. Rinse and wipe dry. If you don’t have lemon juice, try a little water to make a paste.

Hydrogen Peroxide:

put a sprayer on top of a hydrogen peroxide bottle and spray white grout to rid it of mold and mildew. Reapply if necessary, scrub and rinse.

If your grout is past the point of cleaning and has stains that you cannot remove no matter what, then a commercial product may be right for you. Home Depot carries a fantastic product called Grout Renew by PolyBlend. It comes in a variety of colors to match any grout color and works as a stain and sealer on grout lines. While it can be time consuming to apply, it is ideal for when no scrubbing or cleaning works to remove stains or brighten your grout. It also works well if you’re looking to update the look of your grout.

Cleaning Tile:

My favorite way to clean our tile floors on a weekly basis is by using a steam cleaner. Steam cleaning is about as simple as it gets and uses just water to clean. My favorite steam cleaner is the Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop. All it requires is a quick initial vacuum or sweep to remove dirt and crumbs and a couple minutes to heat the water.

If you prefer using an actual solvent based cleaner, I have several DIY recipes that are perfectly suited for tiled floors. Both contain readily available household ingredients and are safe to use on any sealed tile floor. The Lemon and Peppermint Tile Cleaner is mixed and sprayed while the Citrus Tile Floor Cleaner is intended to be used for mopping. If you prefer not to use essential oil or don’t have any on hand, you can certainly eliminate them as they are mostly intended to just add scent.

Lemon and Peppermint Tile Cleaner:

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup warm water

5 drops lemon essential oil

3 drops peppermint essential oil

Add the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake to combine. Spray thoroughly on tiles and allow to sit for 5-15 minutes. You can scrub if necessary, rinse and allow to air dry or dry using a clean cloth.

Citrus Tile Floor Cleaner:

1/4 cup Borax

1 gallon hot water

5 drops lemon essential oil

5 drops orange essential oil

Mix the Borax, water and essential oils in a mop bucket, stirring to dissolve. Mop as you normally do. Rinsing is usually not required. If your floors are extra dirty, you can add a drop or two of castile or dish soap to help cut the dirt. You may want to have a bucket of clean water on the side to rinse instead of using the cleaning bucket water. This will help eliminate streaking.

If you are looking for a new method or a more natural approach to cleaning your tile and grout, try one one these recipes or products out. Let me know what you think!

Please note: If you have marble, granite, or travertine tile you should not use vinegar, lemon, or anything acidic to clean them because the acid will etch the stone. Steam cleaners work well as does this recipe.

(The adorable aqua blue microfiber cloth above is from my Clean Mama HOME shop and is currently sold out but will be back in stock in the next week or two!)

This month I’m doing a Come Clean Challenge to jump start the 2016 cleaning calendar theme – Come Clean in 2016. Each week this month I’ll have simple, medicine daily tasks to work on – don’t worry about getting everything done, work on a little something every day and your bathrooms will be cleaner than they were at the beginning of the week. For instance, when you’re vacuuming on Wednesday (vacuuming day), you’ll wash floors and baseboards is the task for the day. Adding this step on Wednesday will make Thursday’s tasks a little easier. Make the challenge work for you and your schedule but don’t get discouraged by what you can’t accomplish, concentrate on what you can get done in short chunks of time.

Not sure how to incorporate deep cleaning your bathrooms AND keep up with other household tasks? Here’s what I do….

Start with the daily tasks and make sure those get completed – wipe counters, check floors, one load of laundry, clutter THEN when those are completed or started, I do the weekly tasks – Monday is bathrooms day (follow my speed clean plan to get started), Tuesday is dusting day, etc. I work QUICKLY and get the task finished up in about 15 minutes. This week I’ll be working on bathrooms as I can and with the weekly tasks incorporated as much as possible. Think of ways to maximize your time and effort by adding another task or two to what you’re already working on.

On the checklist for this week and a little bit of direction:

DUST LIGHT FIXTURES – Do a quick dust of any light fixtures. I use this duster and/or my soft bristle vacuum cleaner attachment. If you have glass light fixtures and they are really dusty (and you have time) you can remove them and wash in your kitchen sink with warm soapy water.

VACUUM FLOORS, BASEBOARDS, VENTS – While dusting (Tuesday is dusting day) incorporate dusting any edges, corners, and vents. Use a dusting wand, a duster, and/or your vacuum cleaner to make this simple and easy.

WASH FLOORS AND BASEBOARDS – After vacuuming (vacuuming day) take the time to use the hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get the edges, corners, and baseboards. Then wash your floors and baseboards thoroughly.

EMPTY AND CLEAN AT LEAST ONE CUPBOARD AND DRAWER – Start under the bathroom sink and completely empty it. Toss any expired products

TOWEL INVENTORY AND STORAGE – Today’s the day to evaluate your bathroom towel situation. Do you have too many towels? Are there raggedy ones that could be replaced? January is a great time to buy new towels because of all the white sales 🙂 Donate any unneeded towels to your favorite donation spot or local animal shelter.

CATCH UP ON ANY UNCOMPLETED TASKS – Did you run out of time or energy to complete tasks during the week? Catch up on this day!

QUICK DECLUTTER OF ALL SURFACES – Get ready for the week ahead by making sure surfaces remain cleaned off and everything is tidied up. Bathroom counters can become clutter magnets – declutter again ahead of a busy week.

The excitement over Clean Mama HOME has blown me away! Pictured below are my glass spray bottles – available with and without labels. I sold out of the microfiber but it will be fully stocked in the next couple weeks.

A while back, I polled my readers and asked what their cleaning conundrums were. I received an outpouring of questions on a variety of topics and have enjoyed tackling these issues in prior “What’s the Best?” posts. Today, I am taking on a topic that many of you have issues with: TOILET CARE.

How to Clean a Toilet

First things first, let’s talk about HOW to clean a toilet properly. This is the process I follow and I believe it’s the best way to efficiently and effectively clean a toilet:

Spray thoroughly with your favorite bathroom cleaner (I use the recipe below or this one). Spray the top, back, the handle, the seat, under the seat, the base, basically every single part of the toilet.

Let the cleaner sit for 10 minutes to clean and disinfect the surfaces.

Start at the top and wipe down to the base of the toilet. Use a fresh cloth OR paper towel for every toilet and do not use this cloth on any other surfaces.

Toilet Bowl Rings

One of the most common bathroom cleaning questions I receive is in regards to the annoying ring that tends to develop in toilet bowls. Toilet bowl rings are the result of hard water and mineral deposits that develop from standing water in the bowl. No amount of scrubbing, harsh chemical cleaners or bleach will completely remove this buildup. The solution to this is rather unexpected to most: pumice. Pumice is a natural volcanic rock that does a superior job at removing surface stains in toilet bowls without scratching the surface. Thankfully, it is easy to find one that has a handle so that you don’t need to stick your hand in the toilet bowl in order to get the job done. Simply rub the pumice around the interior of your toilet bowl where the ring is and that’s it! It couldn’t be much easier. The Pumie is a pumice stone specifically designed to clean your toilet rings and stains. You can use any pumice stone, but I like that this one has a handle and is designed specifically for toilet cleaning.

Residue Around the Toilet

For those of you with little boys (or big boys) these tips are for you. Let’s face it – a lot of boys have a hard time aiming and hitting the bowl when they go to the bathroom. The result is not pretty and it seems as though no matter how hard you may wipe and wash, there tends to be a residual odor that is left behind. A lot of you have asked for my recommendation on how to eliminate this annoying situation and scent and I am happy to give my first hand recommendations.

First of all, as annoying as it can be, do your best to wipe up drips and drops sooner rather than later. It doesn’t take long for tile grout to get permeated and this makes it harder to eliminate the odor. Depending on the age of your children, this can be a job for them to be trained in (with good hand washing after, of course!). I like to use my Lavender and Lemon Bathroom Disinfecting Spray in the bathroom. Not only does it smell great with the addition of essential oils, but it’s safe and works well on getting rid of all those bathrooms germs and bacteria.

Gather your simple ingredients (this recipe can easily be cut in half if you don’t want to mix up a whole batch).

Lavender and Lemon Bathroom Disinfecting Spray:

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup vodka (excellent germ-killing properties)

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops lemon essential oil

1 1/2 cups water (distilled or boiled and cooled)

I find that using a funnel makes it really easy to pour ingredients directly into a spray bottle. Alternately, you can use a measuring cup or container with a spout with good results too.

Take note of this additional step before you start as this addition is the game-changer for scent removal. Spray around your toilet base liberally and sprinkle baking soda on top. You will want it to be a thick, paste like consistency. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to kill all those germs. At this point you can use your desired tool of choice to scrub a bit if you want to really get at it, or you can simply wipe it up using a damp cloth until no residue remains.

My Toilet Seat Game Changer

With two little boys, I have had my fair share of moments of being really grossed out by all the residue that is around the toilet seat, screws and hinges. This area is really tricky to clean well. I recently discovered and purchased this toilet seat for 2 of our bathrooms and it’s one of my favorite finds. Instead of having to clean around the hinges and screws, the toilet seat actually lifts up so that you can easily wipe around the hinges and screws. It also is slow-closing to prevent finger pinching and slamming. (Please note that you need to check the size of your toilet before purchasing a toilet seat.)

I’ll continue to answer your cleaning conundrums in upcoming weeks, so keep an eye out for simple solutions to your biggest cleaning irritations. Go here to see all the posts in this series.

If you follow along with my cleaning routine, on Mondays you clean bathrooms right along with me in your home. (I also post daily reminders on Instagram and Facebook, click to follow along.)Today I’m sharing a visual of how I clean ALL of my bathrooms in 15 minutes. I have 4 bathrooms and can attest to this being the absolute easiest and quickest way to get them all cleaned in a hurry.

You’ll notice that I am not sweeping, vacuuming, or washing the floors. This is part of the time-saving magic of this approach. I vacuum all the floors on Wednesdays and wash all the floors on Thursday, so there’s no need to wash them on Mondays. If this is your first time trying this routine and you want to have all your bathrooms cleaned at once, feel free to clean the floors but it will take longer than 15 minutes. Also, I do a quick counter check every day as part of my cleaning routine and that keeps the cleaning time down on Mondays as well. Go to this post to see more about the Clean Mama Cleaning Routine.

Please note: This is not pretend or fake cleaning or making your bathroom look clean when it isn’t, this is a simple way to thoroughly clean your bathrooms quickly. Try this today and you’ll have more time for other things that really matter. Ready?

Gather your supplies and tools – this is what you’ll need :

microfiber cloths (alternatively you can use paper towels or cleaning wipes, I prefer microfiber) – 1 for mirrors, one for each toilet, one for each sink, and a couple extras for tubs and showers

Start with the mirrors – spray and wipe clean. I use a glass and mirror microfiber for lint and streak-free mirrors. Keep this cloth handy and reuse in each bathroom.

Next, move on to your sink, toilet, and bathtub or shower (if you don’t use a tub or shower regularly, you don’t need to clean it weekly) and quickly spray with your disinfecting cleaner. (I use non-toxic disinfecting cleaners – they work just as well and aren’t harmful to you or your family. You can see my favorite cleaners here and if you’d like to make your own cleaners, my book, The Organically Clean Home.)

Use your preferred toilet cleaner and brush and do a quick clean of your toilet.

Then REPEAT these steps in each bathroom. Once you’ve done that, go back to the first bathroom:

Wipe the sink, wipe the toilet, and wipe the tub or shower – take care to use a separate cloth or paper towel for the each toilet, sink, and bathtub/shower to avoid cross-contamination.

Don’t forget to get the base of your toilets too – I wipe here last.

Place dirty cloths in a container and move on to wiping down the next bathroom and the next until you have wiped down each bathroom. And that’s it!

Have a whirlpool tub that needs a good cleaning? Today I’m sharing the best way to clean (really clean) your whirlpool tub. With the jets and additional mechanisms, a whirlpool tub is more difficult to clean than a standard bathtub, but with regular cleaning you can soak knowing that your whirlpool tub is perfectly clean.

Cleaning Frequency

This really depends on the frequency of use, but I recommend using this method monthly to quarterly if you use your whirlpool tub frequently and biannually or annually if you use your tub infrequently.

Clean the Tub

Begin by filling your tub with hot water to about three inches above the jets. Add four tablespoons of powdered dishwasher detergent and 1/2 cup of vinegar or bleach to the water. My preference is vinegar, but if I was moving into a new house and wanted to thoroughly clean the tub, or if there is mold present when running the jets, I would look at using bleach. The detergent will serve to loosen and remove any greasy residue left behind by soap or bubble bath from the jets while the vinegar or bleach will disinfect. Turn the jets on at full capacity and allow it to run for 15 minutes.

Rinse the Tub

Empty the tub and fill it with cold water to three inches above the jet level once again. Turn on the jets and run for an additional fifteen minutes to remove any remaining residue and thoroughly rinse the tub.

Wipe Clean and Detail Jets

After completing these two cycles, use a cleaning rag and wipe away any residue that remains. You can also use a toothbrush or similar small brush to reach into the crevices of the mechanisms and get at any particles that are hidden in the interior of the jets.

Clean the Surface

Is the surface of your tub in need of a little cleaning as well? Try using a non-abrasive cleaner to gently scrub the interior of your tub (see this post for my favorite products for deep bathroom cleaning). Be sure not to use any sort of an abrasive cleaner as this could potentially scratch the surface. Use a toothbrush around the handles and the faucet and follow with wiping down the interior with a cleaning cloth or rag.

How to clean bathtubs and showers is one of the most often asked questions that I receive from my readers. As I made a list of all the questions that you asked after my What’s the Best blog post, I wasn’t surprised to see the bathroom theme continue. Today I am focusing on bathtub cleaning and how to tackle those grimy tubs and showers as easily as possible.

Bathtubs and shower surrounds have the tendency to accumulate soap scum and stains in a hurry. Part of it is a result of soap, shampoo and body washes that you use while part of it can result from the hardness or softness of your water. Regardless, let’s take a look at a couple of cleaner options that can help make a difference. Depending upon your cleaning style and cleanser preferences, I am sharing products that you can find at your local store as well as ones that you can make yourself.

Magic Erasers:

These helpful little numbers can be ideal for a thin layer of soap scum or residue. Simply wet and scrub away. I recommend using the ones that are heavy duty over the regular ones as they tend to be a bit more durable.

Favorite Cleaners:

BON AMI:Bon Ami products can do a great job at removing rust, residue and stains with minimal fuss and work. Both come in a can in a powder format and soft scrub liquid – I recommend the original 1886 powder as it’s the safest version. This powder works as a gentle, mild abrasive that scrubs without damaging surfaces. Put on a pair of gloves, sprinkle it in your tub or shower and around the faucet. Dampen the surfaces as well as a sponge and scrub in a circular motion. Rinse your tub really well when you are done in order to get all the cleaning residue off.

ECOVER:
If you prefer a soft scrub formula, Ecover has a great Cream Scrub that’s perfect for cleaning all things bathroom. Concerned about scratching a fiberglass tub? Use a soft, damp sponge or microfiber cloth and scrub away.

METHOD:
If the soap scum is thin and you need a spray cleaner, try the Bathroom Cleaner from Method. It’s natural and will dissolve minor soap scum and dirt. You’ll need to use a scrub brush to give your scum the heave-ho, but this is a great product if you prefer a spray method.

Make Your Own Cleaners:

Making your own cleaners isn’t rocket science, nor does it require any crazy ingredients. Both Borax and vinegar can be found in most grocery stores. I love making my own cleaners and being able to mix up a remedy for just about cleaning conundrum. You can check out my book, The Organically Clean Home, all about making your own natural cleaners.

SOAP SCUM REMOVER:
Mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Borax with 2 cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Shake and spray surfaces thoroughly. Let it sit for up to 15 minutes and use a Magic Eraser sponge to clean. Rinse and wipe dry.

RUST REMOVER:
Saturate paper towels or rags with white vinegar and drape over fixtures. Let it sit for 15 minutes and rub with the cloth to eliminate the rust. Rinse, and repeat if necessary.

Once you have a clean tub or shower, it’s important to maintain it with regular cleaning. Thankfully, keeping up with it doesn’t have to be majorly time consuming. For an easy run-down on how to clean your shower and keep it that way, check out this post that covers everything you need to know.

There are certainly issues and situations where no amount of cleaning or cleaners will “fix” the problem. You may need to consider recaulking or regrouting your tub or shower when stains, mildew or mold issues persist. If the surface of your tub or shower has been damaged or has disintegrated beyond repair, it may be time to consider replacing or having the surface reglazed.

Getting rid of those tricky stains and residues in your tub and shower doesn’t have to be a day long cleaning chore nor does it take an arsenal of cleaning supplies. Choose one of the suggested cleaners for your situation and look forward to a cleaner, fresher bathroom!

One of the top questions I receive has something to do with cleaning a shower, cleaning soap scum, how to keep a shower clean, etc. Showers are tough. If it’s a shower that’s used regularly, it’s damp and has a fair amount of moisture that needs to fully dry on a daily basis. If it isn’t used on a daily or weekly basis it still needs a quick wipe down to keep it clean and dust-free.

I have a pretty simple process that helps me maintain a CLEAN and MILDEW-FREE shower – want to see what I do and what I use? Keep reading!

BEST TIP

Start with a little shower caddy or container that you KEEP IN YOUR SHOWER or bathroom to use on a daily or weekly basis. I use non-toxic cleaners and generally clean the shower while I’m taking a shower. This is the one I use and the one pictured below. (If you have a walk-in shower you will agree that this is the best way to do this or else you’ll end up taking a shower anyway.)

DAILY

Use a daily shower spray – I have a recipe in my book for a Peppermint Daily Shower Cleaner Spray and Method brand has a Daily Shower Spray that works really well too. Using a daily shower spray will keep soap scum and mildew at bay and make it easier to clean your shower.

Use a squeegee at the end of your shower to remove excess water and to prevent water spots.

Spray cleaner on walls, tiles, shower surround, faucets, shower head, etc. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Scrub clean and rinse thoroughly. This is part of my Monday cleaning routine – you can see how I speed clean all the bathrooms in my house here. I also recommend Murchison-Hume bathroom cleaning products.

Some people swear by using a combination of equal parts white vinegar and dish soap in a handled sponge dispenser. Try that technique if you’d like and see if that works for you.

Use a scrub (powder or paste) to deep clean your shower. If you have a lot of soap scum, start with SCRUBBING the shower first to get it perfectly clean and then apply the daily and weekly routine. Use a handled scrub brush to effectively clean the grout and tiles.

SHOWER HEAD

If your shower head isn’t running as strongly as it used to, you can use white vinegar to break down the mineral deposits that have collected over time. All you need is about a cup of white vinegar, a sturdy plastic bag, and a rubber band. Pour about a cup of vinegar into the bag and lift it to the shower head. Make sure that all of the spray holes are covered in the vinegar. Adjust the amount of vinegar if necessary and then secure it to the shower head with the rubber band.

It’s important to keep the bag on the shower head for at least 3 hours. After several hours or overnight, remove the bag. Not only will the mineral deposits and residue be removed from the exterior, but the interior will be cleaned as well. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.

MILDEW

Mold and mildew are not things you want in your bathroom or shower, and they are not things you want to mess around with as they can be dangerous. One way to start fresh is to re-caulk your shower and tub every year or so. It’s a fairly simple process and can be completed with a tube of white silicone caulk specifically designed for bathrooms and kitchens. If there’s more than just a little bit of mold or mildew, call a professional to eradicate the problem first.

If you have a little mildew in your shower, spray straight hydrogen peroxide on the spot(s). Let sit for up to an hour and rinse. You can put a clean spray nozzle right on top of a hydrogen peroxide bottle – keep the hydrogen peroxide in the brown container it came in. It loses its effectiveness when it comes in contact with light. Hydrogen peroxide will bleach fabric so be careful where and how you spray the solution. Repeat if necessary.

You can also try using the same process with just straight white vinegar, no rinsing is necessary. If the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar don’t work, you can add a couple drops of tea tree oil (melaleuca) to the hydrogen peroxide using this recipe (from my book, The Organically Clean Home):

The 2014 Start Here series has been a huge hit. Every week, viagra buy we’ve tackled a small organizing task in our homes with the hopes of organizing our lives a little better. As the year is nearing a close, troche every week in December I am highlighting an area in the home to work on. This is a great time to finish up any missed tasks or take a couple minutes to get a specific area tidied up a bit. This week take some time to straighten up areas in your BATHROOMS that need a little attention. Here are some posts from this year to give you a little inspiration and help along the way. Grab the FREE cleaning and organizing calendar for December to get you started! Look for a BRAND NEW design for the 2015 FREE calendar and a new series! Subscribe so you don’t miss a single post.

Bathroom counters can easily become a jumbled mess of supplies, order cosmetics and odds and ends. Clear off your bathroom counters for good with these tips.

Clean out the clutter and disorganization under your bathroom sink with these four tips.

I love making and using DIY natural cleaners (heck, I wrote a book about them!) so today I thought it would be fun to round up some natural bathroom cleaners that you”ll love! These recipes cover disinfecting, mirrors, toilets, grout, and more – get ready to scrub up your bathrooms with homemade cleaners!

Did you know you can make your own natural bathroom antibacterial cleaner? So much safer and less toxic than the commercial options, plus it smells wonderful! Lavender and Lemon Disinfectant via a Clean Mama

Yesterday I shared 4 tips to organize under the bathroom sink – today I’m going to show you a couple essentials that I keep in the cleaning caddy under the bathroom sink. I find it really helpful to keep a mini cleaning caddy in our bathrooms, I find that having a couple quick cleaning supplies at the ready for any little mess or just routine cleaning is a real time saver. If I’m supervising bath or shower time I take a couple minutes to spray down counters and toilets to take advantage of a couple minutes of down time. (Please consider the ages of your children if using this advice – never leave children unattended in a bath or shower.)

Think about what supplies you use most or every time you clean the bathroom and put them together in a small caddy or container. (I keep toilet cleaning supplies and shower cleaning supplies in separate containers.) I always need/use a disinfecting cleaner, a glass and mirror cleaner, a scrub, microfiber cloths, and a magic eraser.

Not into making your own cleaning products? Put your favorite disinfecting, glass cleaner, and scrub in your mini cleaning caddy for the same results. Go here to see some of my favorite cleaning products.

How about a recipe for the Peppermint Glass and Mirror Cleaner? With just a couple safe ingredients, you can have a quick drying, easy cleaning glass and mirror solution that smells great and cleans even better!

Gather these ingredients, pour in your spray bottle, give it a little shake, and start wiping those mirrors and windows!

This week’s organizing (and cleaning) task is the BATHROOM SINK. (September’s cleaning and organizing calendar is here). Take a couple minutes this week to organize your under the bathroom sink this week – if you have more than one bathroom, choose the most-used or most desperate for a little organization. I have 4 quick tips to organize under the bathroom sink and keep it that way!

CLEAN: Start by emptying out the space and wiping it clean. Toss or donate anything that isn’t used regularly.

CONTAIN: Anything that’s left put it in a container. If you have lots of items stored under your sink, separate and group them together and place them in a container. I like using open plastic storage containers for easy access to products. Keeping items contained also ensures that any leaky products won’t ruin your cabinets.

CLEANING CADDY: For me, the most important item under the bathroom sink is a mini cleaning caddy. Keeping your most-used cleaning sprays and tools at the ready make it easier to spot clean a bathroom or completely clean it while little ones are doing baths or just when you happen to have a couple minutes. (Go to this post to see what’s in my mini cleaning caddy AND grab a great DIY cleaning recipe.)

GARBAGE LINERS: Just a helpful hint – keep a small roll of garbage can liners (or 4 or 5 extras) in the bottom of your garbage can. This is not only a time saver, but a mess saver. Keeping the garbage cans lined keeps the mess in the bag – no more gum stuck to the bottom and sides of garbage cans. (Or maybe that only happens at my house?) It’s also helpful when colds and flu are going around to keep tissues a little easier to clean up.

Here are a couple other bathroom cleaning and organizing posts you might be interested in: